WATKINSVILLE, Ga.–A boil water advisory put into effect on Tuesday in Watkinsville and parts of Oconee County was lifted today. The advisory was issued as a precaution after a break in an 8-inch water line in downtown Watkinsville. The line was experiencing low pressure, but not an imminent threat to residents according to Jenanne White,…

Staying close to home on Sundays while enjoying an alcoholic beverage might be easier for Oconee County residents after Nov. 8. On the ballot, there will be two ordinances allowing for the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sundays. The first ordinance gives residents the option of allowing restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays while the…

The Oconee County Library’s Pumpkin Decorating Contest is happening this week. The contest is open to kids age 0 to 11. The children are encouraged to bring their favorite book characters to life through the pumpkins. According to the children’s librarian, Rebecca Ballard, this is a carve-free contest because the library doesn’t want “critters” running…

A boil water advisory has been issued to the following areas in Oconee County: city of Watkinsville, Barnett Shoals Road, Simonton Bridge Road and Greensboro Highway. This advisory is due to a severe water main break and interruption of service. The Oconee County Utility Department sent out an email and posted about the water break on social…

Three schools in Oconee County have reached their capacity. Because of this, the Board of Education is proposing an education special purpose local option sales tax, or E-SPLOST. It will be on the November 8 ballot. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates on this decision. By: Damisi Fawole

Rick Pettigrew has been attending Oconee County Board of Education meetings since last fall with a controversial request to bring Bible classes to public schools. His proposal would allow students to be released early from class and receive credit for Bible classes. Many other schools around Georgia already do this. Andrew Cohen, a father of…

Watkinsville, GA- A candidate forum is scheduled for Oconee County Post 2 that will highlight three items on the county’s ballot for the November 8 election. Former Post 2 Commissioner John Daniell resigned from his position in May in order to run for the Chairman’s seat after current Chairman Melvin Davis announced his retirement. Three…

The Georgia State Patrol has told Grady NewSource reporters that it takes 3-5 days for a full report to be released, but the GSP has released the preliminary report for the Oconee Crash that took four UGA students’ lives on Wednesday night. The driver of vehicle #1 was Agnes Kim, 21. The driver of vehicle…

WATKINSVILLE, GA | Her childhood consisted of waking up in the middle of the night, packing into the car, and handing out water to firefighters or lending a helping hand in any way during fire emergencies. Beth Farrington comes from a family that has dedicated their lives to serve their community. Her father, brother, husband,…

Oconee County has been removed as a defendant in the lawsuit by ex-deputy Lisa Price against Sheriff Scott Berry. Price sued Berry and the county at the beginning of March claiming the Sheriff’s office kept a “secret discriminatory file.” Sheriff Berry says the county should have never been sued in the first place. “I fired…

24 years-old Chad Ruark is still missing nine days. Today his family spoke to the media about it, for the first time. Chad’s brother, Ernie Ruark, says that Chad is not acting like himself at all. He says, “Chad is just not keeping up with his kids, not calling real close family who keep up with…

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Health & Medical Journalism

Old attitudes still cast shadow over HIV fight
By Victoria Knight
Georgia Health News | May 2017
"The 'H' stands for human, not homosexual," says Frank Tant, as he perches on the edge of a worn brown couch in the main room at the AIDS Resource Council in Rome. He's talking about the 'H' in human immunodeficiency virus, identified more than 30 years ago as the cause of AIDS. The disease itself had been recognized only a few years before.

Report: Charity clinic helps more than its patients
By Jim Lichtenwalter
Georgia Health News | June 2017
A report by University of Georgia researchers shows that an Athens-area charitable health clinic is helping to reduce the number of unnecessary ER visits.The report examined 185 new patients who began receiving health care from the Mercy Health Center from Feb. 1 to July 31, 2015, and continued to do so for at least a year and a half.